The Irish gambling industry is coming together to support the launch of the first ever Responsible Gambling Week. It is to be the biggest social responsibility campaign held in Ireland. The theme for the campaign is simply, “A great tip - know when to stop” with the aim of starting conversations about what it means to gamble responsibly. This national awareness campaign will run from 5th – 11th February 2018.

Responsible Gambling Week Ireland, has a large sector of the gambling industry in Ireland taking part (betting shops, online betting sites, online casino sites, horse/greyhound tracks, arcades, gaming clubs and the Tote). By coming together with one voice, they want to reach more people and get the country talking about responsible gambling, the tools that are available to keep gambling safe and fun, and where to find help and support for those who need it.

Sharon Byrne, Chairperson of The Irish Bookmakers Association, said: “This week marks the first Responsible Gambling Week in Ireland and the bookmaking industry is using the week to reiterate its support for the establishment of an independent regulator and the enactment of the Gambling Control Bill. Our members look forward to working productively with the regulator once legislation is passed. Social responsibility has been increasingly fundamental to our members’ approach to customers and business, and what makes this week so important is that the industry is coming together and sharing the same messages to secure maximum exposure and awareness. We want to start more conversations about what it means to gamble responsibly between operators, customers and their friends and families. The industry will also be raising awareness about how to help people gamble responsibly, and will be sharing information on how to access help and support, for those who need it.

“Having the whole industry behind Responsible Gambling Week is essential to its success, and we have global online sportsbook and casino operators taking part, in addition to betting shops, arcades and gaming clubs, horse tracks, greyhound tracks and tote operators scheduled to run that week. Their full support and involvement is what will make this campaign effective and will help us reach more people than ever before.”

To spread the message as far and wide as possible, the participating operators will be undertaking a range of activities throughout the week, including:

• Nationwide display of posters, leaflets, banners and other information about Responsible Gambling Week in betting shops, arcades, gaming clubs, at horse and dog race tracks, on industry websites and on social media channels, which encourages conversations about gambling responsibly.

• Ensuring staff in retail premises and online sites continue to be points of contact for their customers on how to gamble responsibly, with coffee mornings arranged in many betting shops locally.

• Using social media channels to promote the campaign throughout the week.

• Working in partnership with the charity Dunlewey Addiction Services, to raise awareness about responsible gambling through their websites and communication channels.

• Holding a reception in the Dail to help brief politicians on Responsible Gambling Week, what it means to gamble responsibly and how they can assist the industry by introducing effective legislation.